69 - Protest by H.S.H. the Duke of Orléans.

Protest by H.S.H. the Duke of Orléans. An apocryphal handwritten document, purportedly drafted by His Highness Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orléans, challenging the legitimacy of the Count of Chambord, the future Henry V, in Paris on September 30, 1820. “The Duke of Orléans hereby declares that he lodges a formal protest, for all legal purposes, against the official record dated September 29, 1820, which purports to establish that the child named Henry Charles Ferdinand Marie Dieudonné is the natural and legitimate son of H.R.H. Madame the Duchess of Berry.” “France and Europe have already fallen victim to Buonaparte’s usurpation; certainly, a new usurpation by the so-called Henry V would bring the same misfortunes upon France and Europe.” In-8 format, 4 pages, brown ink on paper. An interesting example of the clandestine circulation of this forgery at the time; the National Library of France (BNF) holds several related copies.